Posted on 09/29/2012 9:57:00 AM PDT by JoeProBono
No matter how much I beg, some of you, no doubt haven’t done anything to prepare (you know who you are). I don’t know what else to do. All I can do is give you the information, it’s up to you to act. No one can do it for you.
No doubt some of you are intimidated by my repeated suggestions of storing and using whole grains. If it doesn’t come from the supermarket shelf it’s strange and unfamiliar and you want no part of it. Fair enough.
But you still need to prepare. Here are ten things that you can do right now that will make you better prepared than probably 90% of the population.
And everything is available at your local shopping center – so it’s easy. You can do all ten steps at once or divide each into a separate week and shopping trip. But you need to get it done as soon as possible.
Keep in mind that this is only a starting point and isn’t presented here as a completed list.
1. Head to the nearest Wal-mart, Kmart, Costco or whatever and pick-up 20 lbs of white or brown rice and 20 lbs of pinto beans. White rice has a better storage life while brown rice has more nutritional benefits – your choice.
2. While you’re there grab 5 lbs mixed beans, 5 lbs of white sugar, 5 lbs of iodized salt, one gallon of olive oil (can be frozen to extend shelf-life), 5 lbs oats, 10 lbs each of white or wheat flour and cornmeal.
3. Now head over to the canned foods and pick-up 20 cans of canned fruits and 20 cans of canned vegetables. Be sure to buy only those brands and contents you normally eat and nothing exotic. No need to shock the senses.
4. Now over to the canned meats. Pick-up 20 cans of various meats, salmon, stews, spam and tuna. Again buy only those brands with contents you normally eat and nothing exotic.
5. Okay. Now to the to the peanut butter shelf and toss two 40-ounce jars in the cart. The listed shelf life is just over two years and each jar has over 6,000 calories. Peanut butter is an excellent instant survival food.
6. Over to the powdered drink mix – go on I’ll wait…Okay, pick up two 72 Ounce Tang Orange drink canisters (provides 100% of the US RDA vitamin C requirement per 8 oz. glass). Also grab six 19-Ounce Containers of Kool-Aid Drink Mix.
7. Off to the vitamin and supplement aisle, pick up 400 tablets “one a day” multivitamin and mineral supplements. I buy this brand at the local Wal-Mart - comes in 200 count bottle for $8 each.
8. Now to the department we all love – sporting goods. Go to the camping aisle and pick up 4 five gallon water containers. Fill with tap water as soon as you get back home.
9. While you’re there buy 250 rounds of ammunition for your primary defensive weapon. More if you can, but this should be a good start. Also a good universal cleaning kit.
10. And lastly pick up the best LED flashlight you can afford, extra batteries and bulb. Also grab two boxes of wooden matches and several multi-purpose lighters.
Don’t forget to date, use and rotate – remember first in first out. Let’s get started.
What would you add to the list?
FYI: Bad/cheap aspirin smells like ammonia.
Less than $200 at several local chemical wholesalers.
If you have a valid reason, e.g., you plan on cleaning your pool, they will sell to you. It helps if you own a business.
Some suppliers will require that it be delivered by a licensed haz hauler. In my city that costs about $35.
BTW, if you don’t have a forklift handy, I have pumped/siphoned chemicals from a drum in a pickup bed to a clean drum on the ground. Drums can be balanced on edge and rolled by reasonably fit people.
Safety first! Always use safety glasses, chem gloves, rubber boots, and a rubber apron. 12.5% bleach will burn you quickly.
Don’t leave drums in hot garages or the sun. The gases inside can cause them to explode.
On second thought, don’t buy a 55 gal drum if you are not conversant with handling chemicals.
Definitely worthwhile. They have all the gadget hardware to go with the various water storage containers, pumps, hand pumps, siphons. Also food grade 5 gallon buckets, mylar pouches, desiccants, oxygen absorbers. The package deal for downspout rainwater collection with leaf diverter etc. Prices for the water storage gear are better than online.
Seal white rice well, using desiccants and oxygen absorbers. It will keep for 20 years if kept sealed and dry.
I put mine in 1/2 Ball canning jars with 1 oxygen absorber and 1 desiccant, then cover with black cloth to minimize light.
Uh, I meant 1/2 gallon jars.
"Chemical Ali"
my hubby is building a "shop" though, and that means I'll have more room in the garage and the shed....ahaaaa!
here’s a hint about vinegar...if you are close to Canada, they sell 7% strength vinegar, instead of the common 5% down here....you’ll need less for pickling, etc...
so, vinegar or very cheap alcohol is probably a way to have a disinfectant....
another point, if you have someone in your family or circle of friends who can shoot bow and arrow, that would be a good skill to pick up....silent hunting....and of course, get some extra arrows....
God Bless you, and wherever we can, we’ll have your back...
buy local honey.....its supposed to be better for you if its from “your” area....and from what I’m told, honey does not go “bad”....if it firms up, simply put it in a sunny spot to soften up....
we're in this together...all for one, and one for all...
God bless us, one and all....
you know, I know people make fun of the Duggars, but if we had 100,000 more Duggar families, do you realize, practically all our problems would be solved?
Lice.
One of the things that is going to be interesting is seeing how people are going to deal with pests that they have little or no experience with.
buy local honey.....its supposed to be better for you if its from “your” area....and from what I’m told, honey does not go “bad”....if it firms up, simply put it in a sunny spot to soften up....
Studies have shown (really!) that a LOT of supermarket honey isn’t honey at all, or laced with corn syrup and junk. Pretty sad.
We got 39 pounds of honey from our farm this year after we gave a friend with a spinner about 5 pounds. Have another box and frames to get another hive going soon. Local honey comes from local pollen and many folks swear by the benefit. I don’t know, but I enjoy the bees and they are great for our garden, orchard, and flowers. We buy from other friends locally and have many gallons of honey.
When our new orchard matures in a few years we hope to have about 5-6 hives here on the farm.
wish my place looked like that.
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